What do ghosts in Bangladesh eat?

"Shukhe thakle, bhoote kilay"

Contrary to popular interpretations, what these famous words - so ingrained in Bangladeshi culture - mean is that whenever someone feels too happy, they are possessed by ghosts who wish to lay waste to the last vestige of joy.

Bangladeshi folklore is rich with tales of haunting apparitions, but not all of them conspire to make the lives of citizens difficult.

There are, however, the more infamous ones, whose sole purpose is to ruin the party – even though they disguise their intentions well. 

One of these ghosts is Insaaf, which is believed to be a jinn. The spirit roams the lands, looking for people who speak ill of the dead or hurt someone's sentiments by saying the wrong thing.

One of these ghosts is Insaaf, which is believed to be a jinn. The spirit roams the lands, looking for people who speak ill of the dead or hurt someone's sentiments by saying the wrong thing.

Even truth seekers are not spared the Insaaf's wrath. Poke your nose into business that isn't yours and Insaaf will hunt you down. Unlike other ghosts, Insaaf feeds off fear as opposed to sweets, a popular snack among the supernatural. The more fear Insaaf can spread, the bigger it can grow.

Insaaf, along with its counterparts, are usually found hidden in the dark corners of corridors of power.

Then, there's Petu. Petu, unlike Insaaf, doesn't go after people. It, instead, loves to eat rice -- a staple in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh consumed 36.7 million tonnes of rice in 2021-22 and this year production is set to increase modestly to 37 million tonnes.

Even though production outpaces consumption, it has never calmed market worries over supply shortage and subsequent increase in rice price.

This isn't some scheme to line the pockets of rice mill owners, some of whom also happen to run the food side of the government, but it is down to the Petu.

Petu often disguises as a rat and eats rice while they are kept in the silos, depriving the people of their primary food source.

Their hunger doesn't stop there. While the government's zero-tolerance policy towards corruption is working, according to the relevant ministry's own figures, the country lost a staggering TK 24,735 crore from the economy last year.

Although the powers that be chalk it down to graft, most people well-versed in Bangladesh history know it was the Petu, who has developed quite a taste for paper as well over the decade. 

They also love having a nibble at unused construction material, but ya'll knew this. 

They live near puddles, having adapted to a loss in water bodies. Subsequently, they are more vengeful now, but contrary to popular belief, they care little for fish, opting to give those away to curry favour with more powerful entities. They are, however, always fishing for compliments in their small puddles.

Going back to basics, the Insaaf is extraordinary because it has also reduced the populations of other Bengal ghosts such as Porishmon.

And there you are, the most important ghosts of Bengal.

Lubnan Khaleesi knows all good men like Malcom X and Bobby Hutton died for nothing.